Finding Excalibur
by Splash-of-Color
Summary: Unlike Most legends, Excalibur is a man, Arthur is a sorcerer and Merlin is his theif best friend. With the help of an unlikely ally, they search for Excalibur and maybe some answers.
1. Chapter 1

Discalimer: Hey mans, I don't own anything other then the ideas. People= not me. ok? ok! enjoy

_"There are soldiers out there, Merlin." Arthur told his friend. The boys turned to the door and stared. The door was hit. _

_It was hit again. And again._

_Soon the door crashed in and the boys ran for cover. _

_"Get them!" A woman's voice called as men ran around the furniture to grab the two small boys. "Merlin and Arthur," The woman said. "You two have been very bad stealing from Auntie Igraine." The boys squirmed in the arms of the men and stared at the woman. She stood tall, her black hair curling around her shoulders and her dark blue eyes were staring at them. "Where is it boys?" Merlin, a short ten year old boy with dirty blond hair and green eyes looked over at Arthur, a tall ten year old boy with brown hair and deep green eyes. Neither of them said a word but looked at Igraine. "Where is it?" She demanded. Merlin knew better then to say anything. Caelia was more important then that. "Search the place. Don't let anything go unturned." Merlin and Arthur looked at a floorboard beneath Igraine. She called over some guard and had them tied together._

_"Arthur?" Merlin asked softly. The second boy turned his head. "She's safe." Arthur nodded and prayed silently that the would not find Caelia, his little sister. _

_"Where have you put it?" Igraine shouted. Neither of the boys spoke. Arthur had to bite his tongue so he would not call out to her and tell her to run. Merlin took Arthur's hand in his and squeezed. "Burn the house down!" She called. _

"No!" Arthur shouted.

Arthur sat up in bed, shouting, breathing heavily and sweating. "Artie?" Merlin asked as he jumped from his sleep and looked over his best friend. Time had passed, fifteen years to be exact, and Arthur still dreamed of his sister, of his family, of his past. "Arthur wake up, you're ok." Arthur had to shake his head and rub his eyes to realize where he was. The darkness around him seemed familiar and so did the voice that called to him. It was the same as in his dream, only deeper and rougher.

"Merlin, is that you?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah Artie. It's me."

"Where are we?" Arthur asked.

"The apartment. We're still at the apartment in Vienna. We haven't left here since the last heist we've done. The stealing of that painting in Paris." Arthur sighed and nodded to the darkness. He remembered now. They were in Italy after they had stolen a famous painting from some museum to sell to a big art collector with a wallet almost as big as his stomach. Arthur and Merlin were thieves. Well, mercenary thieves; they stole for the biggest payer. They were now in Vienna at an apartment under false names and waiting for their plane back to America to give the painting to their latest employer, Mr. Harry Vixen.

"When we get back to the states, Merlin, I think we need to take a trip." Merlin sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side.

"Sure thing Arthur. Where to?" Arthur thought about it for a moment in the darkness.

"Let's go see Excalibur." Merlin laughed.

"No problem Artie. I'm sure the old coot would love to see us. Not to mention if I call up the crew, we can get the others to start the show right away and bam, we'll be in business. Maybe the guy's got some jobs fors us!" Arthur nodded silently.

"If we're going to see him, Merlin, we'll need a boat." Merlin frowned.

"No." He answered sternly.

"We need Pendragon." Arthur insisted.

"No."

"You said that Pendragon's the best in the field." Arthur added.

"The pull can be done without Pendragon." Merlin said.

"Call the team, we'll leave tomorrow and we'll all go see this Pendragon." Merlin shook his head.

"I don't like seeing Pendragon." Merlin grumbled.

"Go to sleep Merlin. We'll talk about it tomorrow on the plane." Arthur turned over and huddled with his pillow.

"I don't like seeing Pendragon." Merlin muttered again.

"Shut up Merlin."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Arthur was up before Merlin. "Merlin." Arthur called from the kitchen as he grabbed Fruit Loops from their cabinet. "Get your stuff packed. We're leaving in ten minutes." A thump came from the other room, followed by Merlin's cursing. Merlin came hopping out in a t-shirt and jeans, trying to put on one of his sneakers.

"Wake me up a little later Arthur." Arthur shrugged and took a bite of his cereal. Merlin grabbed an apple and took a bite. "Are you already?" Arthur nodded and took another bite. "I hate you." Merlin growled as he grabbed his clothes from the floor and threw them into a suitcase. By the time Merlin was done packing, Arthur was done with his cereal and was loading their cab. Merlin ran out to put the last of the luggage in the back of the cab. Arthur smirked as Merlin hopped in the car. "I really hate you." Merlin said as he moved his blond hair from his face. Arthur laughed a little and told the driver to take them to the airport.

Arthur was the brains of the operation. He knew six different languages, Chinese, German, Italian, French, Spanish and Gaelic. He graduated college with four majors, three masters and a doctorate. Merlin was the bronze. He too graduated college but with two masters and a minor. He studied karate, ti-kuan-do, jujitsu, and other forms of martial arts. He was able to disarm a firearm in under four seconds, take a man's life in ten seconds and finish a job in the remaining six seconds.

"Grazie mille." Arthur said to the driver as he and Merlin left for their plane. Merlin and Arthur boarded and Arthur looked over at Merlin. "Did you call them?" Merlin looked over at his best friend.

"Do you think I called them?" Arthur laughed.

"Call them when we get back." Merlin nodded and leaned his head back against the chair.

Arthur and Merlin landed in West Virginia sometime around four in the afternoon. "Mr. Vixen, yes, it's me. I'd like to arrange the pick up." Arthur spoke clearly and professionally.

"Agra, call them together. We're going on a field trip." Merlin smiled into his phone as he spoke to Agra Vain, a member of a very exclusive military program that gave him access to things people shouldn't be able to get into.

"Will do Merlin." Agra said as they hung up the phone. Arthur looked at Merlin, who nodded.

"Mr. Vixen, we'll see you in five minutes." Arthur and Merlin nodded. "I'll take the Vixen." Merlin nodded and left for Agra Vain's home while Arthur left for the house of Mr. Vixen. Arthur made the trade off fairly regularly and Merlin and Agra called together the KRT, the Keepers of the Righteous and True. First was Bedivere, the "Brain". Next to Arthur, this man was the smartest of the group. He basically was tech guy for the security and other stuff of that sort. Next was Colagren Tant, He was the lifter of the crew. He could break into a store, steal almost everything and get out with only one person knowing he was there; the guard he took out. Then came Cara Dock. Despite the name, he was a man and he was almost as lethal as Merlin. His record was damn near flawless and he was only seconds slower then Merlin. After him came Dinadan, other wise know as Dan. Dinadan was one of the many tech guys the KRT had. He was joined by his five brothers Gaheris, Galahad, Gareth, Gawain, and Geraint. They were normally called Gather, Glad, Care, Pain, and Saint due to the fact their names rhymed with those words and no one really wanted to remember their full G names. They were the technicians for their cars, computers and all sorts of electrical stuff.

Next in line was Kay. Kay was the weapons man. He knew everything there was about every type of weapon and could assemble anything to create a working firearm. After Kay came Lam Orak. Lam was the actor of the bunch. If they needed to get into a place without being detected, Lam would walk in, and charm people while the others got in and did what they needed to. Lam usually worked with Arthur and his brother Lance Slots. He was the gambler. Each person working for the acting department had a certain angle. Arthur was the intellect, Lam was the hunky but stupid man, Lance was the compulsive gambler, Palamedes, Pal, was the geeky collage kid, Percival was the nice guy that couldn't do anything wrong, Sagra More was the jerk that deserved to be thrown in jail, Tristan was the twenty-six year old virgin, and Ywain was the sensitive poet who needed a job.

Merlin had gotten together all the men and waited for Arthur before beginning the briefing. "Men, we're going to see Excalibur." The men laughed and nodded.

"About time we got that guy out of jail." Gather said as he looked at his brothers. They had the same idea.

"Boys, we need one thing though if we're going to get him out of jail." Arthur said as he stood by the door.

"Sure, what?" Lance asked.

"A boat." Merlin scowled. The men groaned.

"Not Pendragon." Pal said. Arthur laughed.

"What's so bad about h-"

"It's Pendragon. The name fits. Asking Pendragon something is like asking a dragon to cuddle with you while soaked in barbeque sauce" Tristan said. Arthur laughed more.

"Let's go see Pendragon boys."


	3. Chapter 3

The KRT went down to the docks where an authentic pirate boat, larger then the twenty one of them combined, sat. It was the largest boat since the Titanic and it was run by the best captain of all the seas. Capitan Lila Pendragon. "Wrench." She ordered with her head in a hole under the steering wheel. "Wrench!" She called as she held her hand out. A man handed her a wrench after finding it in the mass of tools by Lila's side. Merlin and Arthur came upon the boat and looked at the workers. Merlin motioned for them to leave and they followed the order. "Screwdriver." She said as she thrust the wrench outward. Merlin and Arthur paused and stared at the jean covered butt that was sticking out at them. "Screwdriver." She repeated. Again, they didn't move. "If I have to come up there for my tools you all better hope I don't find you." She growled as she started to turn around. Arthur handed her a screwdriver and she snatched it up. "That's what I thought." She said as she turned it to tighten something. She threw the screwdriver back over her head to them and Merlin caught it. She did some final examinations and sat up. She turned around and as she opened her mouth, she shut it to scowl. "Merlin." She said angrily.

"Pendragon." He said nervously. Arthur noted the tone Merlin used and stuck out his hand.

"My name is Arthur, madam." She sneered and looked him over, her deep brown eyes staring through him.

"Whatever it is, Merlin, you know my price and I'm not doing it for free just because we're acquaintances." She snapped as she looked back at the blond man.

"Pendragon, you know we were more then that." Kay said with a smile. She looked at him, bared her teeth at him and turned back to glare at Merlin.

"The whole KRT?" She asked. "Well, if that's the case…" She pretended to think. "Double the price."

"Pendragon!" Merlin called.

"Ma'am, please, we're going to see a very good friend of ours." Arthur said.

"Excalibur, Pendragon." Saint said. She looked at him and frowned before turning to Merlin. Her brown eyes flashed gold at the name while she stared at Merlin.

"This one time Merlin. You pay me back or I have your head." She said as she turned around and jumped off the deck of the boat onto the pier. Arthur looked impressed and nodded.

"I like her." Arthur confessed with a confident tone.

"She doesn't like you." Lam behind him said.

"She doesn't like anyone." Lance added. Merlin sighed.

"Boys, get the ship set up." They nodded and left Merlin and Arthur standing on the deck of the ship.

"What does she do?" Arthur asked.

"She is the last of her kind." Merlin said. They stared at the girl as she threw someone into the water. She was yelling, which wasn't very different from anything else she did.

"What is her kind?" Arthur asked.

"Weredragons." Merlin said.

"No." Arthur said shocked. "They're extinct." Merlin shrugged.

"You know better than anyone that species only need one person to survive. We are the last of our kind Arthur." Arthur nodded and sighed.

"There are still sorcerers out there Merlin. It's not like we're the only ones left. Caelia is still alive. Excalibur is alive too. They're stronger then us." Arthur said softly.

"I know Arthur, but we're still the last of our kind. Not to mention the other KRT members. They're all the last of their kinds. She's the last of hers and that's why she's so…" Merlin sighed and shook his head. "She's her and it's hard to keep her on a team. She wont work with anyone." Arthur nodded and rubbed his chin.

"How long will it take us to get to Excalibur?" He asked.

"On her ship, a few days."

"It's that fast?" Said Arthur.

"You bet your rear end it is." Pendragon said as she leaned against one of the giant masts on her ship. "The Lady of the Lake is faster then you can think possible. What better ship to carry a bunch of criminals then a pirate ship?" She asked.

"Are you always this charming?" Arthur asked her.

"Oh, you haven't seen me at my best yet." She said as she walked passed him. "Merlin, I want to talk to you." Merlin stood his ground.

"You can talk to me in front of my partner." Merlin said. She shrugged.

"Fine with me. I gave twenty one of my guys the week off. You and the KRT are going to work this ship. That would be half your payment." Merlin nodded.

"Fine with us." She smiled.

"Have you ever worked on a ship?" She asked. Merlin and Arthur shook their heads. "Have your men?" They again shook their heads. "I'm going to have fun with you." She said as she called over Brain.

"Yes Miss Pendragon?" He asked.

"Call me Capitan and get everyone logged and all ready to leave by sun down. Assemble them on deck in five minutes." She looked at Merlin and Arthur and told them to follow her. They followed her until they were in her cabin. "Are you getting him out?" She asked. The two men looked at each other.

"Maybe." She stared at them.

"Do you have a plan?" She asked. Merlin smirked.

"You know me Pen." He said.

"Yes, I do know you, that's why I have to ask." She said. Arthur cleared his throat.

"No, we don't have plan yet." He said. She sighed and shook her head.

"This is why you came to me isn't it?" She asked Merlin. He pointed to Arthur.

"Hey," Arthur said. "Merlin was bragging about you and all I did was insist." She looked at Merlin.

"Bragging about me?" She asked. Merlin shrugged and she moved so fast Arthur only had time to blink before she was pressing Merlin against the wall of her cabin with her hand around his neck.

"Whoa," Arthur called as he ran over to her.

"You know I don't like people knowing about me." She growled.

"I didn't mean like that. I just meant that he said you were the best." Arthur said.

"Back off sorcerer." She growled.

"Stand down weredragon." Arthur countered. She turned to look at him and he had to bite his tongue not to gasp. Her eyes were bright yellow and her irises were narrow slits. "Stand down." She stepped back and let Merlin fall to the floor. "We just need you to take us to Excalibur and we'll leave you alone." She growled and turned around.

"Get out of my cabin and get ready for the briefing. I'll have a plan for you." She stared at her desk as she spoke. Arthur picked up Merlin and left the room. Arthur looked out at the nineteen men that stood by occupation in the mission and nodded. This was their group. "Get down there." Pendragon said, making them both jump. Pendragon looked down at the men and shook her head.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm assuming that you're in your groups?" Pendragon guessed. She looked at Bedivere, Dan, Gather, Glad, Care, Pain, and Saint. "Nerds," She, then, looked at Lam Orak, Lance, Pal, Percy, Sagra, Tristan and Ywain. "Nothing useful," Next, she looked at Merlin, Cara, Kay, and Tant. "Muscle," And finally, she looked at Arthur. "Brains I suppose right?" He smirked.

"Aye, Aye ma'am." She growled.

"Get that smirk off your face, sailor." Pendragon growled and looked around at the men. "Forget what you know about pirates. I am not like that. I do not just plunder and pillage because its fun or because it suits me. I do it because I need what I get for things for myself. Like most pirates, I am a selfish person. I am Captain and dictator. You do as I say or you get punished. I will not bend to what you want. I will do what I want. I kick you down, you get back up and keep working. I take your tool, you find another to do the work. I tell you to do two jobs you better get both done. I am a hard laborer. You do what I say or you work harder. I do not like my ship to be unclean, I don't like my workers idle." She walked down the steps of her ship and looked at everyone. "You are all specialists but on this ship no one is special. You will get the same amount of work. Well, if I don't like you, you get more. To start us off, how about the geeks go hoist the sails, the useless go hoist anchor, the muscle go below deck and get some of the prisoners off. And you," She looked at Arthur with a sneer. "Go….do something that's not in my way." Arthur stared at her and looked at Merlin.

"Help us out. We'll need some with all those prisoners she's got." Arthur looked at the angry weredragon and wondered what made her like that. She turned to him and bared her teeth.

"Get to work, I said." She shouted. The men went to their jobs, aside from Arthur who stared at her.

"I'm going to talk to her." Merlin put a hand on his shoulder.

"Artie, that, is a really bad idea." He told Arthur, who shrugged and started towards the stairs.

"It can't be that bad." He said arrogantly. Merlin shook his head and went to work. Arthur climbed the steps and made his way back towards the captain's cabin. "Ms. Pendr-"

"Captain." She growled as she looked up from her map. Arthur nodded.

"Of course, I'm sorry. Captain? What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing that concerns you." She snapped. He rose his eyebrows and stepped forward again.

"Captain--"

"Didn't I tell you to do work?" She asked as she looked up at him once more.

"I'm not really a worker, more of a thinker."

"Then think while you're working. Think about how sorry you are that you and your little band of losers came to my ship." She snarled as she looked back down at the map. "Now get out and do your thinking." Arthur looked at her and frowned. What the heck? Arthur turned around but he finally realized something.

"You know, Captain," He said flirtatiously. "I don't seem to recall which work I was supposed to do." The woman growled and walked out the door, dragging him along by the wrist. Arthur had to admit, she had soft hands for a pirate. She threw him to the ground and handed him a toothbrush.

"Wash my deck and you better make The Lady of the Lake shine maggot."

"Oh of course! Thank you for telling me what to do." Pendragon growled and kicked him on his side.

"Get back to work." She turned to leave and as she did, Arthur mumbled something under his breath.

"Evil dragon lady." She spun around and stared at him.

"Excuse me?" Arthur turned around and turned his head with an innocent look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry ma'am?" She sneered and walked back to her cabin in silence. Oh yeah, Arthur thought, he was going to have fun.


	5. Chapter 5

As Pendragon neared her cabin, she found one of the KRT, she believed him to be Lance, setting a sail. "You, what's your name?" She asked as she came over to him. He looked at her and then back at the sails.

"Lance, Captain." She was right.

"Lance, see that man down there?" She asked.

"Artie? Yeah, why Captain?" Asked he.

"Keep an eye on him. A very close eye on him. Keep me informed. If you do you can leave as soon as we touch firm ground unlike these fools who will be working for me for a very long time." Lance looked back at Arthur and nodded.

"Yes Captain."

"Good man." Said Pendragon as she left his side. She looked upon the deck and nodded. "Is that anchor up yet?" She called sharply. The men nodded and shot their heads up.

"Aye aye Captain." They all replied together. She nodded and looked around.

"We're moving out boys." She called as she walked to her wheel and began to lead them towards the middle of the ocean where a certain sorcerer who should have been locked up a long time ago for all his crimes and thefts. The one sorcerer not even Pendragon herself would mess with in the wrong times; Excalibur.

Despite all the fun Arthur was going to have, he wasn't having fun cleaning the deck of the boat. The Lady of the Lake was a monstrous boat, whose deck was larger then any mansion length wise. Where did a woman like that get a boat like this?, Arthur thought to himself. Merlin stood over him and laughed. "I told you it was a bad idea." He said with a grin. Arthur looked up at him and shrugged before standing.

"Hey Merlin, I got an idea." Merlin rose one eyebrow. "Well, this lady has stolen tons of stuff right? Where's she gunna put it? Gotta be somewhere on this boat, right?" Merlin sighed.

"Oh man, Arthur. Do you not learn? Pendragon doesn't like you. She doesn't like anyone and she will eat you, literally if you take anything. She wont eat you, I'm sorry. She'll torture you then eat you piece by piece. She is a vicious beast Arthur and you want to push her limits." He shook his head. "You're nuts. You're going to get us all killed." Arthur grinned and shrugged.

"Fine. I'll take the gold and stuff for myself." Merlin shook his head.

"Where do you think she keeps it?" He asked finally with a sigh. Arthur grinned.

"I knew you'd pull through for me!" Arthur said with a grin.

"Merlin!" Pendragon's sharp voice made them both jump. "I thought I told you to get the prisoners! I've at least twenty. You all done already?"

"How does she do that?" Arthur whispered.

"I have great hearing you know. Don't think I can't hear you." Arthur and Merlin looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Shit…" Pendragon's laugh rang through their ears and she was next to them, grabbing their ears. They winced and tried to get out of her hold.

"Boys," She called to the other men. "I do not like treason on my ship. My gold is no where near this boat. Anyone wants to steal anything it's all with you guys. Now, I'm going to make examples of these men." Pendragon dragged them to the starboard side. She let go of their ears and turned them back to back. She tied a rope around them.

"This? This is punishment?" Arthur asked.

"Heave-ho boys." She called as she looked upward. Glad jumped down from the crow's nest and pulled the two scofflaws right up into the air. Both men shouted and hollered and when Glad landed, they were at the top of the crows nest. "You can have fun up there for a while. I'll let the birds crap on you for a while." She grinned and looked around. "Carry on men." She said in a kinder tone before she walked away. The men did as they were told. Pendragon walked into her cabin and stripped down to her shirt and underwear. She needed sleep. She opened the door and looked out. "Lance!" She snapped. He looked at her from the port side.

"Aye Ca--" She stepped out and he stopped talking. All the men did. She stood on an upper deck of the boat in a long in a long sleeved shirt and underwear. What else would they do? She had long lithe legs that seemed to go on forever. Her hips were hidden by the shirt but anyone could see she had nice hips.

"Eyes up sailor!" She snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. She made her way over to him, her feet making no noise at all. "I am your Captain. Do you want to join them?" She pointed upward. "Well you wont. I have a special punishment for any man who thinks things of me they aren't supposed to." The men all went back to work. "That's what I thought." She snarled. "Lance, I want you in charge. I'm resting. We've got a long way to go and I haven't gotten any sleep in two days." Lance nodded and watched as she left for her cabin again. Pendragon sighed as she closed and locked her door and made her way to the bed that sat in the corner of her cabin. The rough and lumpy cot didn't help her sleep but the exhaustion did. The heaviness of her eyes and the numbness in her limbs helped her mind rest for just a few moments. She lay down on her cot and rested her head against the cold hard pillow. Her eyes, now weighing as much as her ship, slowly closed while her mind shut down for however long she could.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Didn't I tell you before, Lila?" He yelled at her. "You have to concentrate." This sorcerer was pissing her off. _

_"But I don't get what I'm supposed to do, Teacher Excalibur." He put his hand on her small ten-year-old shoulder with a sigh. _

_"Patience, ok Lila? Just relax and focus. It should come from your heart. Your emotions help your powers a lot." He explained. _

_"But what if I'm not a sorcerer, Teacher Excalibur?"_

_"Everyone is a sorcerer in this land." Lila looked at the ground. _

_"Can't I be special?" She asked. Excalibur turned her to look at him. The man was a young one, only a few years older then her own father, who was around the age of thirty. He had long brown hair and mysterious grey eyes. His skin was a fair color but there were darker bags under his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept in a long time. _

_"You are special, child. Everyone is special in their own way." Lila looked at her teacher again. _

_"But…what if I'm really special, Teacher Excalibur?" He turned his head. _

_"What do you mean, child?" _

_"What if…. Maybe I weren't a sorcerer at all? What would happen to me then?"_

_"Nothing would happen my child for you are a sorcerer. Your father was a very proud magic weaver for the courts when he was young and your mother was a wonderful witch." Lila bit her lip. _

_"They why do people call me that name, Teacher Excalibur?" _

_"What name, my girl?" _

_"They call me, Thrankena." She mumbled. _

_"Dragon? Why would they call you that?" Excalibur asked himself more then the small girl in front of him. _

_"What does it mean, Teacher?" _

_"It means they don't like you. They have to demean you. Do you know what that means?" Lila shook her head. "Demean means to put down someone that they think is better then them."_

_"But why did they call me a dragon? Am I special?" Excalibur looked at her and nodded. _

_"You have always been special, little one. But, let us continue the lesson we were on. Your magic comes from your emotions." _

_"Teacher, I don't think I have magic. I think I'm a dragon. Like the ones that daddy talks about." Excalibur looked down at her. "Daddy says that the dragons were really good fighters. They fought in wars and they were brave like me. He said I could be traced back to a very powerful dragon. Was daddy a stork helper?" _

_"I'm not sure, Lila. I'm not sure what your daddy was anymore." Lila sighed and looked at her teacher again. _

_"I think I'm like that dragon warrior daddy told me about. See?" Lila turned her head and her eyes were yellow with narrow black slits. Like armor crawling over her skin, scales replaced her clothes and her arms and legs became positioned like that of… well a dragon. Standing a foot below her teacher, Lila looked up at him. _

_"They…You….You're not…" Lila turned her head again. "You're not real…" He stared at the figure before him. "You're a monster!" Excalibur turned and ran away from the dragon girl. Lila shrank to her ten-year-old frame and sank to her knees. She hugged herself and fought tears. Someone ran from her. She was a monster….. _

Pendragon rolled over in bed and stared at the wall of her ship. Her eyes were blurry with tears and her cheeks were wet and warm. She rubbed her face against the pillow and sniffled. She was a monster….. Pendragon used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear before throwing the blankets off her and getting up. She made her way over to her dresser and pulled out another pair of pants and a fairly clean shirt. She quickly put her jacket and boots before walking out onto her deck again. She looked around. The seas were calm, gentle waves moving them at a fairly decent speed. The men had found their quarters, she suspected was thanks to her one final crew member that she let stay on the boat. She made her way below deck and found Merlin and Arthur complaining about her.

"She's just so scary!" Merlin mocked.

"Ooh terrifying!"

_"She's hideous!", "She's a beast!", "Run away!" _The screams of her village people rang in her head.

"She's a cold, heartless monster." Arthur concluded as he leaned back against the wall.

_"You're a monster!" _She swallowed hard and cleared her throat.

"You don't seem to learn do you?" She demanded. Arthur jumped and turned to face her, his eyes wide. "I don't mind being called a monster. I am one. And I will unleash all of my anger on you."

"I'd rather you let something else out on me." He said grinning. Pendragon stared at him with wide eyes and grabbed him by his throat.

"Pendragon, he's joking. He's an idiot. Let him live for a little while longer. It's just to the island and back. After that we'll be out of your hair." Pendragon growled.

"I don't want to hear him speak again." She looked down at Arthur. "Speak ill of me once more and you wont have a tongue to talk with." She threw him at Merlin and stormed back to the deck. _She's a monster…._Pendragon sighed and climbed the ropes to the crow's nest. There, she sat and stared at the sky. What she wouldn't give to just be away from all people, all life, all those idiots who fear her because she's different…..

But dreams don't come true.

Not for monsters anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

Sitting silently on the floor of his small cell, Excalibur was meditating. He had been doing this for a while now. He could feel the winds change. Someone was coming. For him, perhaps? He didn't know but he sat silently in his cage. The sorcerer had been in that prison for years upon years. On the charges of being a weredragon. He cleared his mind of thoughts and allowed calming visions to enter his mind. Suddenly, a pair of yellow eyes that pierced his soul appeared in his mind. He jumped and opened his eyes. No…Excalibur stood and looked out the window that offered the only sort of light for his room. The moonlight, a pale dull blue was splashed upon his floor and his walls. He couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. She was alive, and she was coming for his life. Swallowing hard, he watched the calm seas that surrounded his prison. He was on the very edge of the island, the very top of it too. He could see everything, well, if he weren't in prison. With a sigh, Excalibur went back to the middle of the empty room and returned to meditating. What was the point of getting worked up about the end? It would come eventually.

_"What if I'm not a sorcerer, Teacher Excalibur?" Excalibur remembered that one day his favorite student, Lila Pendragon, asked him the most devastating question. Excalibur expected she was going to be a hassle. Her parents weren't the greatest of people. Her father, Urthur Pendragon did not keep himself to one woman. Her mother was a mystery. No one in the village saw her use magic but they assumed she did for the sake of keeping their coven in order. Their daughter however, was something they intended to keep an eye on. From her birth, the baby had been put under surveillance. Like her mother, she had not used magic. The little girl would often sit in a field around the village away from other children, her brown hair plated and down her back. Her long delicate fingers would play with the grass while her dirty dress would hang on her body like a rag. Often the little girl would leave her home, walk through town aimlessly and find a spot away from people and buildings. She liked outdoor places. _

_"What do you mean, Lila? Of course you're a sorcerer. Your parents were wonderful magic wielders." The girls brown eyes averted towards the ground. _

_"They why do they call me that name, Teacher?" Her soft voice asked. _

_"What name, my child?" He asked as he sank to one knee. They had chosen a place outside of town to practice her magic. Excalibur tried to get the girl to open up to other children but they did not want her nor she them. So instead, he hoped she'd open up to someone like him if she were in a comfortable area. _

_"They call me Thrankena." That's an absurd thing to think of, a dragon._

_"Dragon? Now why would they call you that?" She was no dragon. Dragons were extinct. They were a myth, a legend, a fairy tale. It didn't make sense. _

_"I do not know, Teacher but I think it's because daddy talks about them a lot." Excalibur turned his grey eyes down towards the little girl. She stared at him now, her brown eyes brave. "Daddy says dragons were a big and strong race that were really brave. He said I was like them. I was a special war…war.." She put her finger to her temple. "He called me something that was like a fighter. And he said I was going to be a really great one like the dragons." Excalibur inwardly frowned. Her father talked of legends to her? Old fairy tales? But why? And why say she would be like them? Why not like the sorcerers that were lined up along the men and women of greatness? Why pick such evil monsters? "Daddy said I was the great, great, great, great, great, a lot of greats, granddaughter of some really famous dragon war…whatever." Her father said what? "Is that why I'm special?" _

_"You've always been special, Lila. Let's continue your lesson. Magic should come from your soul. From your emotions. Let them flow through you." The girl twiddled her thumbs idly. _

_"I don't think I'm a sorcerer, Teacher. When I was out here a few days ago…I….I just think I'm a dragon, Teacher Excalibur." She muttered as she looked up. "Wanna see?" Deep black scales replaced the little girls skin and her deep soulless eyes turned yellow, her iris thinning to be a narrow slit. Her shoulders repositioned, same as her hips, and she grew a long tail. The dragon stared at her teacher, a smile on the dragon's small face. Excalibur fell back. The dragons were alive. She was alive…. He had to get away from her. _

_"You…You're a monster!" He shouted at her. Her form changed again and she was a small ten-year old once more. Her eyes watered as Excalibur ran from her side. He had to get away. Even as a child, she could kill him. She could kill the village if they knew. Excalibur ran to the highest authority in the land; the Malformater. The Malformater was a big man, round in the middle with big legs and a small head. He had a thin mustache across his upper lip, small beady eyes and a thin mouth. However, today, his great Malformater was not in the hall that afternoon. Instead, the one person he did not want to see was sitting at the secretary desk. Mrs. Urthur Pendragon. Like her daughter, the woman had deep soulless brown eyes, a thin, beautiful face with high cheek bones, pale skin and thin lips. Her eyes rose from her paper and her lips formed a smile, pulled away from sharp beautiful teeth. _

_"How may I help you today, Mister Excalibur?" She asked politely. Like her daughter, she had a soft voice that was beautiful in it's own way. _

_"I need to speak to the his Malformater now." Excalibur said quickly. _

_"I'm sorry sir, he's not in today. He's ill. Would you like me to leave a message?" _

_"No." Excalibur almost shouted. "I'll… visit him myself. It's urgent." Excalibur ran from the office, leaving the woman who had given birth to a monster to sit alone unknowing of what was to happen. Running from the grand white building in the village to the biggest shack on the southern end, Excalibur pounded on the door. _

_"Yes, yes, I'm coming." A woman snapped. "What? What is it?" _

_"I need to speak to his Malformater right away." Excalibur said to the woman. She shook her head. _

_"He is very ill." _

_"But you don't understand, my lady! A weredragon has come back!" Excalibur exclaimed. She placed a hand over her bosom. _

_"No! That can't be!" He nodded. _

_"That's why I must talk to the Malformater and have someone detain her." _

_"Who is it?" The woman asked quietly as she let him into the house. _

_"You must not tell anyone, do you understand my lady?" She nodded. "It is Lila Pendragon and her family." He said. "Now I must go tell the Malformater and get her detained without a large show of things." The woman nodded and led him to the man's bedside. While Excalibur explained what happened, the woman left her home to do the yard work. On the way to her barn, she ran into another woman. They conversed and the weredragon's name slipped from the first woman's mouth. And so on and so forth the rumor of a new weredragon spread through the village. _


	8. Chapter 8

_Lila trudged through the dirt and towards her home. "I heard the weredragon was a little girl." She heard a woman say to a man. Her head snapped up and her heart began to race. _No_….She thought. Turning towards the western side of the village, Lila ran as fast as she could towards her home. They were coming after her. What else could she do? Lila pushed through the people and continued to run towards her home. _Mamma…Papa…_ She screamed as she ran. She wanted her mother and father. Lila burst through the door of her home to find no one. _

_"Mamma?" She called. "Mamma! Papa!" She screamed. _

_"Lila?" Her father asked from the back room. She ran to him. The man emerged from the curtain and Lila threw her arms around him. _

_"Papa, they're coming!" She called. _

_"Who, my child, who?" He asked as he hugged his daughter to his chest. His big rough hands smoothed the girl's hair as he hushed her. _

_"All of them. They're coming to get the dragon Papa." His hand paused. _

_"You'll be fine, my child. No one will hurt the dragon." Lila silently quietly sniffled as she hugged her father. _

_"Papa, what about Mamma?" Her father placed her on the ground and put a hand on her shoulder. _

_"My beautiful Lila, I will go out and get your mother. Stay here and gather your things. We will leave and save the dragon." Lila looked up at her father. His eyes were gold but normal. "The dragons protect their own." He said softly. She nodded and hugged her father once more. _

_"Papa? Bring Mamma home ok?" Her father smiled and nodded. _

_"We will be with you again, my Lila. I promise." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Your Papa would never lie to you." She smiled and nodded. "We shall return quickly." Her father turned and left his daughter and home unprotected from prying eyes. Lila left her living room towards her own and placed her few clothes in a bag. She carried her stuffed teddy bear with her to the living room, where she sat patiently and quietly, begging her father and mother to come home. _

_Urthur Pendragon, a big burly man with dark hair, much like his daughter's, and golden eyes, ran towards the main hall in his village. A woman, Mrs. Secredoven, the town seamstress, stopped him. "Mr. Pendragon, why in such a rush?" She asked kindly, her old womanly frame hunched over on a cane. _

_"My Lady, I must apologize for my haste. My daughter has fallen ill. I must retrieve my wife right away." The woman placed her gnarled hand over her mouth. _

_"Oh goodness, I hope she gets better. Go, go, you must get your wife." The man bowed to her and left for the hall once more. Once at the hall, the sight he saw was something that twisted his stomach. _

_"Leave me alone!" His wife called to the men and women that were dragging her out of the office. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" Urthur ran forward and stopped the crowd. _

_"What is this you're doing to my wife?" He demanded of the crowd. One man, another farmer like himself, stepped forward. _

_"There is rumor your wife is a weredragon." He looked down at his wife. _

_"You cannot believe all rumors, dear friend. Come, let us forget this mess. We all know weredragons are myths." Urthur said with a laugh. Some men chuckled but the main farmer stood his ground._

_"The dragon was seen. In the field by the school yard. Your daughter goes there is that not correct?" Urthur shrugged. _

_"So do many other children. I do not see how this relates to my wife." He said as he held out his hand to her. She stepped away from the people gingerly and took his hand. He placed his arm around her. "Speaking of my daughter, have any of you seen my darling Lila?" He asked casually. _

_"I saw her running around town." Urthur laughed, a deep, heartfelt laugh. _

_"My daughter is a wild one. I think we should go find her." He looked down at his wife. "Don't you agree?" The woman nodded. _

_"It would be a shame if she ruined her dress while she was playing." Urthur looked at the men and women again. _

_"If there's nothing more, my good people, we shall be off." He and his wife turned and made their way down the street. Mrs. Pendragon let out a sigh and held her husband tight. _

_"That was too close Urthur." She whispered. _

_"I know, Dana, I know." They hurriedly made their way towards their house where everything seemed just a little too quiet. Urthur let his wife go and made his way towards the door of their shack. Suddenly, a black blur came through the door and into the air while women ran from the house. _

_"See the dragon!" A woman screamed. _

_"Dragon!" Urthur looked up at his daughter. She was looking back and forth, her black wings fighting to keep her up in the air. Urthur stared at her. He had never seen his daughter's form but he had to admit, she was a rare dragon. Even in the old times where dragons were alive, there had been no black dragons. All were a red, gold or brown color. White was even a common color for dragons. His daughter was a prime dragon as well as a rare one. From what he could tell, Urthur could see her breast and neck was lined with thick scales that were a grayish color. Her neck was long and her head was large. Her eyes were a golden color and frantically looked around for salvation. Her legs weren't long yet but they were already home to long and sharp claws. Her eyes stopped on his and she dove for him, her wings tucked tightly against her. Her father jumped up just as his daughter got close enough and he, too, changed into a dragon. He, unlike his daughter, was larger and had a thick white blur of scales. Like his daughter however, his wings were long and powerful and moved him forward and upward away from the eyes of the town. Urthur led his daughter towards the field, where her mother was heading towards in her dragon form as well. _

_Dana Pendragon was a gold color with a smaller body then her husbands. She flew closer to the ground, her thin body giving her the advantage of speed. She met her husband and daughter on the field, her body still moving while she came to a stop. "Lila," She said to her daughter. Lila rubbed her neck against her mother's and looked back at the people. _

_"They're coming mother. They're coming for the dragon." Dana looked up at Urthur and silently asked him what to do. _

_"We need to get Lila away." He said softly. Lila moved away and placed herself in front of her parents. Someone was coming. _

_"Lila what--"_

_"Lila!" Excalibur shouted. The younger dragon changed into a human once more, followed by her parents before the Teacher reached them. "Lila, you have to leave. They're coming to kill you." _

_"It was you, sorcerer." Dana growled. "You told the people of us." _

_"Don't be ridiculous. You must go." Urthur shook his head. _

_"I will defend my family." He replied._

_"As will I." Said his wife. _

_"Mamma? Papa?" Urthur bent down on one knee and smiled sadly at his daughter. _

_"We will always be here to protect you, Lila. But right now, you need to protect yourself."_

_"Fly as far as you can to the mountains. When you're there, wait for us. We will be close behind." Her mother added. Lila stared at her parents. _

_"The dragon does not want to leave." She said sniffling. _

_"We know, my daughter, but it must. You must now protect the dragon and in return, she will protect you." Her father assured. _

_"You will not be alone for long my darling." Excalibur looked at the people who were coming up the hill. Each of the men and women carried talismans and so forth they could use to channel their magic. Urthur and his wife kissed their daughter and hugged them tightly before they returned to their dragon form. Slowly, Lila did too and stared at her parents as they stood in front of her. _

_"Get the dragons!" Lila looked around her mother as a flash of blue light hit her shoulder. _

_"Mamma!" She shouted as her mother staggered back. Dana, however, recovered quickly and roared before taking a deep breath and let out a blast of fire. Her father did the same, only his blast was of ice. _

_"What demon magic do they use?" A man shouted as the group continued to bombard the two dragons with magic. Excalibur was standing next to Lila now. _

_"Leave, Lila." He said softly as he looked down at her. "Your parents will keep their promise." Lila stared at him and turned around to start running before jumping in the air and started to fly onward. However, her attention was drawn back as two long roars came from behind her. She spun around to see her mother and father fall from the sky. _

_"Mamma! Papa!" She screamed. Lila stared at the dragons that fell from the sky. Their eyes were closed, their bodies bleeding. With a crash, both dragon's laid in a still form. She began to fly back before she saw Excalibur. He would help! He'd tell them to stop. _

_"Kill the dragons!" He shouted as he held his fist in the air. A burning sensation ran through Lila. Her teacher wanted to kill her parents. The people cheered and ran towards her parents. She was about to fly down before her mother's eye opened. _

_"Lila," She muttered. "Run." Lila could only stare as her mother's eyes closed once more. She swallowed hard and turned to fly away, but not before staring at the man who had started this all. The man she would kill to avenge her parents. The man who she would never forgive. _

_Excalibur. _


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur awoke on a stiff cot, his face buried in a pillow. He had heard a crash. Shouts. He sat up on his arm and looked around. Why am I alone? He asked himself. He moved to stand and stretched. The boat moved under his feet, sending him forward. What in the world…. He made his way up the stairs and looked around. "Keep them back!" Pendragon was shouting. She had a sword in both hands, cutting through men dressed in blue suits. "I will not loose my ship!" She snarled as she dove at the men. Everyone was fighting, all of them cutting and killing. Arthur jumped into action and sent a wave of red magic across the ships deck. Men fell to their knees and then over. Pendragon whipped around. "Who used magic on my ship?" She demanded. Arthur stood and looked around. He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. Pendragon stared at him. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow, her teeth were elongated. She stepped forward before running at him, turning into a dragon as she got to him. She took him to the ground and put her claw on his neck. _"I do not like magic." _She growled to him. The men, and Arthur, stared up at her. She had black scales, sharp claws and teeth and her eyes….Her eyes were deadly. They were narrowed down at Arthur.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't know." He stammered. She got off him and changed back into a human.

"Don't apologize to me." She growled as she turned away. She walked over to the side of this ship and jumped upon the ledge. "Give up yet boys?" She taunted the other ship with a smirk.

"Damn you Pirate!" The captain shouted.

"Oh please," She said placing a hand over her heart. "That hurts. Doesn't the King's navy know to talk politely to women?" She asked as she walked across the edge. The men on both sides watched her as she teased them. "Now, you all know me, quite well." She said with a smile. "You know I only ask for a little gold."

"Never!" A man on the Naval ship shouted. She pouted and looked hurt.

"Oh, but Skipper, I do love gold." She said, her voice unintentionally seductive. She grabbed Merlin and brought him next to her. Merlin gasped and tried to keep himself balanced. "Hush," She said softly to him. "Look at my men, Captain." She said running a hand over Merlin's chest. He froze and tried not to gasp. "They're in rags." She said. "I can make it a fair trade if you just give me a little gold for my men." She smiled and moved her hand downward on Merlin. The Captain's eyes went wide.

"A whole day!" He called across. She stopped her hand and Merlin swallowed hard.

"A whole day for what?" She asked with a smile.

"All the gold we have. A whole day with me." Pendragon smiled and put her hand on her hip.

"Why Captain! I do believe that is far too little. One day for all that gold? How about I stay a little longer to make up for all that extra gold?" She asked. The men on the naval ship cheered. "I'll be right over then boys!" She said with a wink as she and Merlin jumped down. Once she let go of Merlin she growled. "I can't believe I'm degraded to this." She snarled as she made her way towards her cabin. "Lance," She called as she walked dangerously forward.

"Aye Captain?" He asked.

"I want men on that ship. After the sun goes down, get people to get onto the boat and get ready to take whatever you can find. I want it silent and quick. I'm going to do stuff that ship and there is no way I'm leaving with just gold." She said as she slammed her cabin door.

"Anyone else jealous of those men?" Arthur asked. The men silently nodded. "Damn it." He said as he shook his head.

"I want that sorcerer tied and gagged." Pendragon snarled as she came out of her cabin. She wore her high boots along with a thin black dress that clung to her curves. She walked over to one of the men and removed his belt before placing it around her thin hips. "I don't want him near that ship. Do you all understand me?" She growled. The men nodded and bit their lips. "I'll be back." She said as she jumped onto the edge then over to the other ship.

Nightfall came and the men had made a plan, with Arthur's help, to get on the ship, take out the officers guarding the plank, smuggle the others over, take out the other officers that protected the gold that they guessed was located below deck, the smuggle the gold off. They didn't know what else they were going to take but they were thieves. They'd find something. Arthur and Merlin were first. He was going to get gold too and no scary dragon was going to stop him. He and Merlin jumped across and landed on the deck, Merlin on top of the officer, Arthur next to him. Silently, the men waved across the others; Tant, Dock, Kay and the G brothers. They were going to steal a whole lot of stuff. Merlin and Dock made their way forward and took out any other officers on the deck. Arthur looked at Kay and the G's and nodded. They moved below deck and Saint came back up, shaking his head.

"Nothing here." He whispered. Arthur frowned.

"Hey Artie…" Merlin called from the other side of the deck. Arthur made his way over and looked in the window that Merlin had stepped aside from. Arthur's eyes bugged out of his head. He saw Pendragon beneath a man, her body wrapped around his while he leaned over her, panting. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Why officer, I have to say, you are a wonderful lover." She said. The man laughed and stared down at her.

"As are you, Lady Pendragon." With a smirk, she played with his hair a little.

"It's a shame," She said softly. His eyebrows furrowed.

"What is?"

"Your death." She smiled as his eyes went wide with shock.

"What--" She bit into his neck and snarled. She rolled and sat on top of him.

"I hate having to do this stuff." She growled as she stood and walked away. Merlin and Arthur swallowed hard. She was a sexy scary lady! Arthur moved away from the window and rubbed his mouth. He looked back and she was standing at the window, her arms crossed over her chest. "I told you all to keep him away." She snapped quietly. She had put on a robe to cover herself.

"You can't keep me away." Arthur said smoothly. She sneered.

"Go to the door. The gold's in here. So is everything else I need." She said as she walked away. She grabbed the man and flung him over her shoulder. Arthur and Merlin stood in the door way as they watched her stand and turn around. She had the best legs they've ever seen. "Do you want to die like him?" She growled.

"No but I wouldn't mind what he had before his death." Arthur said grinning. Merlin hit his head.

"Shut up Artie." He said softly.

"Listen to your friend." She said as she moved passed them to throw the man overboard. She looked at the others and nodded before going below deck towards the cots. "Who's next boys?" She asked as she stood in her boots by the door. Men jumped at her question, all of them too eager to meet their doom. Merlin and Arthur brought the stuff out before Pendragon could get the man up to the captain's quarters to seduce him. She pushed him into the room and smile. "Tell your captain I said hi." She said as she closed and locked the door. She looked around and nodded. Everything was silent. Good. She jumped onto the ledge and then onto her own ship. "Blow it up." She snarled. The men stared at her. She grabbed Pain and shook him. ".Up." She repeated. Pain nodded and ran around looking for something to blow it up with. She rubbed her eyes and sat down on the edge of the boat to take off her boots. "I hate men." She said to herself as she stripped down and jumped into the icy water below. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the water running over her skin as opposed to the filthy hands that had touched her all day. She was clean now. She came up for air and sighed. She dove under again and turned into a dragon. Using her wings, she moved through opened her wings just as the ship exploded. With a grin on her face she flew towards her ship and sat on her deck, looking at the wreckage. She picked up the robe between her claws and changed into a human, holding the robe to her body. She made her way towards her cabin, covering herself with the robe more.

"Yeah, scary lady! Work that robe!" Pendragon ignored his comment and just continued to the safety of her seclusion.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas. people= no me.**

Pendragon had found her way up to the crow's nest again but she was not alone this time. "Well, I suppose this means I'm following you." Merlin said softly as he looked at her as she climbed into the look-out box. She looked at him then sat on the edge and turned around. "I'll leave if you'd like?" He asked.

"Just….don't talk." She said absently as she stared at the sky.

"What made you like this?" He asked her quietly.

"I just told you to not talk." She said, trying to sound angry. It just wasn't in her. She was sad, Merlin noticed. He tried to joke with her to maybe get some life back into her.

"But you're so tempting to talk to." He quipped. No one knows anything about you."

"No one needs to know about me." She muttered stiffly.

"Why?" Merlin inquired as he stood next to her, leaning against the edge of the crow's nest, facing opposite of Pendragon.

"There's nothing to know." She said softly.

"Oh yeah." Said Merlin with a roll of his eyes. "People don't need to know where you came from, who your parents were, when you became a dragon, how you got here, how you live like a dra--"

"Shut up." She snapped. Her voice was still dead. "No one needs to know that stuff."

"Maybe I do." Merlin said smirking.

"For what?" She asked looking at him a little.

"For my own purpose?" Pendragon rolled her eyes a little.

"I hate sorcerers."

"Why? How many have you met?"

"Enough to know they're not good."

"What did they do?" _Killed my parents…drove me out of my home…._

"Don't worry about it." She said "They were just…. Stupid."

"That's your excuse for hating a whole race?" Merlin asked.

"Don't worry about it." She said again. Her voice had some life into it, but not much.

"Why do you want to get Excalibur out? Artie wants him out so he can learn more. That guy is a legend. Supposedly a great warrior. Killed off tons of bad guys." _Like my parents…_

"To kill him." Her voice was angry and rough.

"To ki-- But he's a legend!"

"Legends die eventually." She muttered.

"But… this guy.. What did he do? I heard he was a great sorcerer who helped kings and everything."

"He killed a lot of things too. Legends are one sided. No one sees legends the way they were. Just the way they wanted them to be." She said softly. "Excalibur is a man that no one should trust. Ever."

"The guy is almost a hundred years old! How do you not trust him?"

"Age doesn't shape character. It only gives people arrogance and an excuse to do what they want." She replied.

"Why do you have that tone in your voice?" He asked her.

"I just…. Age isn't that big a deal. I'm only a few years younger and-"

"Dragons live that long?" Merlin interrupted.

"Dragons…. We're different."

"Do you guys like…. What's the average age of a dragon?" Merlin asked. She turned to him quickly.

"I don't know. I've been a dragon for almost 80 years. I don't know any other dragons, I've never seen any other dragons, I've only ever seen me." She snarled. She was suddenly alive again.

"What makes you like that?"

"Don't worry about it." She said again as she turned to stare at the sky.

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

"Nothing!" She shouted suddenly. Merlin stared at her.

"Nothing? Then why are you yelling?" She looked away.

"Go away sorcerer. You're not welcome."

"Then why am I here? Why are you taking us to Excalibur? Just to kill him?"

"To see all of your faces fall in utter misery as your beloved legend dies."

"I don't care about him." She looked at him and nodded.

"You do." She said quietly.

"But, I..I barely know him."

"You don't need to know someone to love them. You need to just understand who they are, what they do and why they do it. You know of him, you do the same as he does and you know why. He uses magic to kill innocents. Takes their blood and make them die for no reason. He and all the other sorcerers just kill because they have magic."

"I have never taken a life." Merlin replied.

"You will. Magic is from the soul, from the emotions that live inside you. Emotions are unstable. No one is completely calm all the time."

"How do you know about magic?"

"I was his student." She said softly. "They forced me to learn their ways." She stared up at the sky again. "I hate them all." Merlin was shocked. "Do you know what I hate more then sorcerers?" She asked with a grin.

"Men?" She smiled a little sadder.

"Men. They only want so much from you." Merlin stared at her for a long time.

"Maybe you-"

"Maybe, sorcerer. Maybe." She muttered. "We need to stop at a port. I've already directed us that way. The attack left our starboard side weak. The cannons need to be fixed and we're taking in water. The double cabin system should keep us afloat for a while, but we need to get the Lady of the Lake moving. She's fast but the nearest port is a few hundred knots away." Merlin looked at the ship below him.

"We're going to be ok though right?" He asked. Pendragon was staring, her mind somewhere else. "Lila?" She turned to him a little.

"I don't answer to that name." She said softly.

"Pendragon, then." She stood up and climbed onto the ledge of the crow's nest.

"We need to go faster… I'll put more wind in the sails." She said as she took a step off. Merlin turned around just as Pendragon flew up slowly, her wings moving slowly in long swings.

"She's so beautiful." Merlin thought. Pendragon had a gracefulness about her, both in her human form and her dragon form. Like a shadow, her dragon moved silently and quickly. Her tail made no noise that would give her away while it propelled her upward. Her wings made the only noise in the otherwise silent night as they made a low, "whoosh" noise. The boat picked up in speed but not by much. Pendragon continued this for a while before she came back to rest on the crow's nest as a human.

"We'll never make it." She said shaking her head. "Go down and see how much water has come in. If necessary, I'll pull us to Halfmoon Port." Merlin stared at her for a moment.

"Pendragon," He said softly. "Not all sorcerers are bad." Pendragon frowned and looked at the sky.

"You don't know, Merlin. You're still so young." She whispered. Merlin's eyebrows rose. She called him by his name without a tone of distaste in her voice. It actually sounded wistful, dreamy.

"When will I learn?" He asked.

"You wont. What I know is something that only centuries can teach."

"Then teach me." He said. She stared at him.

"I'm not a good teacher." She stepped into the crow's nest. "I gave you a order. Go do it sailor." Merlin sighed and climbed out of the small nest towards the bottom of the boat. Pendragon sighed as well . She was finally alone. She stared at the stars that hung in the dark sky like small nightlights guiding her way. Pendragon looked down and sighed. She was so close….. Excalibur was near and she could feel his mind trying to clear and reach for peace. She would not allow that however. She would never allow that. He did not deserve peace.


	11. Chapter 11

**Discalimer: Hey mans, I don't own anything other then the ideas. People= not me. ok? ok! enjoy**

Guinevere opened Excalibur's cell door with a delicate and pale hand. Her long golden hair was plated and hung over her shoulder as she carried a pale tray in her arms. She wore a pale blue dress that clung to her skinny frame. Excalibur stared up at the young woman who watched him with caring brown eyes. "Thank you." He murmured softly as he took the tray from her gingerly.

"It is what I am told to do father." She muttered softly. Excalibur nodded understandingly. His daughter was not one of his fan at the current time.

"I understand." He said softly. Guinevere looked at her father. The man was a wreck. He wore a long grey gown that hung from his now weak form. His hair had grown long and was now a bright white and his beard was large and bushy. The man's face was wrinkled, his eyes tired and experienced. His lips were chapped, his hands were gnarled and shaking and his voice was soft and wise.

"Father, how long have you been hiding that you aided a weredragon?" Excalibur smiled a sad smile as he stared at his daughter.

"A long while, my child. I regret not telling people." He said softly.

"Tell them now!" She said in a quiet whisper. "You've been in jail for years already, why not get out?"

"What's a few years when I'll live for another hundred!" Guinevere sighed and stared at her father.

"Please, tell them now father?" She pleaded softly. "Tell them that you know where the weredragon is and they'll go get it. You could be free from this place father." Excalibur stared at her with a hard look.

"Things are not that simple, daughter." He said harshly. "I do not want to find this weredragon. No one should want to find her." His voice had gotten louder now. "The passed century or so has been hard on her. She's not the nicest of people and people are not the nicest to her."

"Then kill her." Guinevere said softly.

"She does not deserve to die." Excalibur snapped at his daughter. The small blond woman backed away a moment.

"I apologize father." She said quietly.

"She is a brave warrior does not deserve to be slain like some beast." He said. "She will not be killed easily and no one seems to want to believe that. She a powerful dragon and a powerful human. Anything she does, no one will be able to kill her easily." Guinevere nodded silently, not wanting to displease her father again. She wanted let Excalibur eat the stale bread and meat in peace. "Daughter," He said before she left. Guinevere turned to him as she fixed her dress. "Someone is coming for me. It's going to be her….She's got men…many men. On one boat. Keep an eye on the ports. She will be leading them." Guinevere nodded and left his side once more. "Gods help us all if she finds me…." Excalibur muttered as he took a bite of the bread. It wasn't long before the man was wincing as the pangs of hunger took over him. He lay on the floor, holding his stomach as he drew his knees to his chest. The bread and meat weren't the best of meals but they eased the sick feeling in his stomach only a little. Excalibur could hear the loud growl erupt from his stomach while he huddled with himself. The prison he was in was made for murderers. It was made for pirates. It was made for men who had done worse then anything Excalibur could have done. Excalibur could only wonder who would be on her ship. Who would come with her to defeat him? What would they gain from it? Truth be told, he did have enemies but none that would join a weredragon! The men who would join the weredragon must have done it unintentionally. She had to have used some sort of magic, Excalibur concluded. There had to be some reason the men would get on that ship and come after him. They were going to get him, kill him and skin him. His eyes wide as he realized that people were going to come for him. A paranoid feeling began to grow in Excalibur as the thoughts of dying consumed him. The weredragon was coming for him. _The weredragon was coming for him. _A voice ran in his head, the same voice that was ringing in his head since the day those two weredragons died.

"_I will come find you, wizard. You will never live this down." _She had said to him while she flew away towards the mountains. She was coming for him. Excalibur was laying on the floor of his cell. What were they going to do to him when they got him? Was the weredragon doing to keep him prisoner? Was the weredragon going to tell the people of the horrible crime he did? What if the woman let the world know he was a two-timing backstabber. No one would trust him. No one would ever let him redeem himself. He would be an outcast…shunned. He could not live without people. He needed their loving gazes upon him, he needed their trust in his pocket to break, he needed their devotion… That weredragon would ruin everything.

Excalibur wondered how he could get rid of the dragon. What would make her leave him alone? How could he force her to look away and forget about him? He needed to find away to get her off his tail and onto someone else's. What other sorcerer could take the blame….He recalled a young sorcerer who said he would do anything for Excalibur. What was the boy's name? Alex….Andrew…. Arthur! Excalibur called upon the sorcerer Arthur to see where the boy was now. To Excalibur's surprise, the boy was on the weredragon's ship, hoping to save him from the horrors of prison. What he did not know what that he was bringing the horror right to him. What a terrible fate that awaited Excalibur unless he somehow got the boy to kill the weredragon or avert her course. Excalibur however, saw that the boy was the one brining them to the island, not the weredragon.

Which one could Excalibur tap into to make the dragon turn away from him? Another sorcerer should be nearby, Excalibur thought. He was sitting up now, too excited to waste his energy on a futile attempt at sleep. He searched for another sorcerer soul and found one. Excalibur was not sure what the sorcerer was doing but he had no intention on finding Excalibur. He had every intention to be off of the Lady of the Lake and the rough oceans that caressed her underside and brought her from port to port. Excalibur recited an ancient spell, one that would have been considered dark magic in old times but now was easily overlooked. The basic translation was, "Magic of the dark, take a journey to your mark, bind with he, who is in search for me, and force him astray, push him away." Excalibur could only hope that the magic he had used would distract the weredragon as well. His life, and his reputation, depended on it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Discalimer: Hey mans, I don't own anything other then the ideas. People= not me. ok? ok! enjoy**

Merlin sighed as he waded through the thigh-high water on the bottom of the boat. He had to get back to the deck. Pendragon was waiting for him. They were taking in water fast, the whole side of the ship was beginning to leak. He finally made it to the stairs and climbed up with heavy and soaked feet. He looked up at the crow's nest and paused. Pendragon's silhouette was clearly visible in the crescent moon as she stared out at the sky. What was she looking for? Merlin asked himself. Why did she seem sad? Why was there a catch in her voice? Why was she so different when she's all alone? Questions raced through Merlin's brain as he stared at her. Her head turned and her eyes were suddenly red. They were the only bit of color in the sky. As she stood, the wind blew her long hair over her shoulders while her red eyes narrowed. She stepped off the edge of the crow's nest and fell to the deck with poise and grace. She walked towards him and it took all that was in him not to fall to his knees. The look in that woman's eyes would drive even the most stubborn man to submission. As she walked, her long legs were eating up the distance between them. Her shoulders moved powerfully as they swung with each step and her eyes never left his. "What's the status sailor?" She asked as she stopped. Her eyes were back to their normal golden brown but he could barely see them. Merlin could only see the paleness of her cheeks in the moonlight, the hard line her small lips made as she frowned, the blackness of her hair as it danced with the wind. "Sailor!" She snapped at him as she shook his shoulder. Merlin shook his head and apologized.

"We've got at least ten holes down there and that water is rising fast." He said. Pendragon sighed and closed her eyes.

"I can't believe she's being taken down by a damned Queen ship." She muttered as she looked back up at him. "I'm going to pull the ship to Halfmoon Port. There's a place for broken down ships. I'm going to need you to get the men up and ready to get the ship ready to be unloaded. I want all of your stuff off, I want my maps and everything put in the chest in my cabin. I am going to trust you, Sorcerer. Don't make me regret doing that." Merlin shook his head and saluted to her.

"You wont, ma'am." What is with me? Merlin asked himself. Why am I giving into her orders? _Make fun of her Merlin. You can do it. Just a little jab of fun..... _"I'll get Arthur up to help. He's better at getting the men to listen." Merlin said as he stood in front of Pendragon. She glared at him and he jumped again. "Sorry, sorry. My mind's not all here."

"Then get it there, Sorcerer. I'm leaving the contents of my ship in your hands. You better be prepared for that." He nodded and left her side. Pendragon watched after the sorcerer. What an odd fellow, she thought to herself. She shook her head and went to a bucket by the side of the boat and pulled out the rope. She wrapped her hair in a bun and changed into a dragon, holding the rope in her large paw. She flew to the bow of the boat and flew back to the deck. She needed someone to tie the string around her stomach. Merlin happened to walk passed her and with a low purr, Merlin turned back to her. She held out the rope and he rose an eyebrow. He slowly made his way over, probably terrified of the giant dragon that sat on the edge of the boat. She held out the rope more, needing him to hurry. He reached up to grab the rope before getting on the ledge with her. He tried to fit the rope around her but his arms were too short.

"Mind giving a guy a hand?" He asked. She frowned and he nodded. "Right. He sighed and watched as she lifted her wings, showing her back. He sighed and climbed over her, the rope in his hand, and almost fell off the boat. His foot caught on hers and he fell back. With a sigh, Pendragon reached out and caught the sorcerer and placed him back on the edge of the boat. He gave a relieved sigh and smiled at her. "Thanks," He said softly. She nodded and let him go so he could place the rope under her stomach and then finally tie it together with the end he started with. She nodded and turned to jump off the ship. Merlin went to the bow of the boat and watched as she tightened the rope around the boat and then turned to fly forward. The ship gave a jerk and suddenly it was like a dog pulling a kid across the lawn. The ship was moving faster then Merlin thought anything could move.

"Merlin what's going on?" Arthur called. Merlin turned around and made his way over to him.

"Tell the guys to get their stuff ready. We're going to be landing in some port soon."

"Why?" Arthur asked as he got onto the deck.

"The Lady of the Lake is taking in water and Pendragon's dragging us to this port to get it fixed."

"She's…" Arthur ran to the bow, followed by Merlin, and stared down at the dragon. Her wings moved in long sweeps and her fingers barely touched the calm ocean. Her tail was tight around the rope so she knew where it was, and her head was constantly moving from the left to the right, checking if there was anyone around. Arthur shook Merlin's arm. "Do you see her?" He asked softly. "What a creature!" Arthur sat there and marveled at the wonder that was the dragon. "She's beautiful!" Merlin frowned and nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "Go get the guys ready to get everything off." Merlin said tightly. Arthur nodded and left his side to do what he needed to in the lazy fashion that was Arthur's way of doing things. Merlin sighed and looked down at Pendragon. He felt an odd urge grow inside him and he couldn't help but feel possessive of her. He didn't want a jerk like Arthur to have her, even if he was Merlin's best friend. Merlin sighed and thought it would be best to do as the dragon captain had ordered and went below deck to help the crew get things done.

Merlin and Arthur had everything set up against the side of the boat as it finally stopped. They hit a beach. Pendragon landed on the deck, grabbing onto the side of it as a human. "Get it all off. I don't want my stuff ruined." They nodded and ordered the men to get the items off the boat. Pendragon gulped down air as she hung onto the wood tightly. She hadn't been in her dragon form longer then a few minutes since she was little. The effort it took to bring that ship…. Pendragon stood as best she could and walked off the ship as well, hoping to look stronger then she felt. She looked around at the men and in a hushed tone she ordered them to follow her. She did her best walking and when she finally reached the town, she turned to the men and told them to go where they pleased.

"Are you alright captain?" One of the men asked. She nodded and turned to walk away.

"Don't concern yourselves with me." She said over her shoulder.

"But Captain!" Someone else called.

"I said don't worry about me!" She growled. "Go do whatever you want." Merlin and Arthur looked at each other and followed after her, telling the men exactly what she did.

"Captain!" Both men called.

"I hate sorcerers." She muttered to herself, still pressing forward.

"Captain please! Listen!" Arthur said.

"You don't look too good." Merlin added as he ran to her and took her arm in his hand. She swayed and fell to the ground, her ability to hold herself up any longer diminishing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Discalimer: Hey mans, I don't own anything other then the ideas. People= not me. ok? ok! enjoy**

"Pendragon!" Arthur called as he ran to her as well. Together, the men did what they could to get the woman up and out of the street. She was barely breathing, so the two of them were more worried about her.

"What are you doing with Pendragon?" A woman shouted from behind them. They stopped dead in their tracks and turned to her. She was wearing a long dress with a shall around her shoulders. She had pale hair styled high on her head and the only way the men could have noticed the color was from the street lights that were towered above their heads. The men didn't even realize that the night was wasting away. They had been on the water for God knew how long and the moon was already sinking.

"You've got it all wrong," Arthur said.

"She's tired, we're brining--" Merlin said as he waved his hand a little.

"Yoru!" The woman called. Tons of men came running out.

"What is it?" One of them asked. The boy was wearing a pair of jeans that were ripped in odd places and a pale blue shirt. He wore a coat that reached his legs and even that looked like it was ripped in a variety of places. The boy had shaggy brown hair that made it look like he hadn't had a hair cut in years.

"They're kidnapping Pendragon!" The woman shouted as she placed a hand over her heart.

"Pendragon?" The man whispered as he looked at Merlin and Arthur.

"What?!" They shouted.

"Men!" The woman from before shouted as lines of men continued to pour out from each of the houses on the street.

"Protect Pendragon!" They shouted.

"Hey," She muttered as she opened her eyes a little. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at her. "Keep it down. I'm trying to sleep. My servants are bringing me to Millie's tavern." Pendragon said with a yawn.

"Servants?" Both men shouted again.

"We are not your servants!" Arthur called. She shrugged and closed her eyes.

"You are now." She said with a small smile.

"Pendragon." She heard from the mass of people.

"Huh?" She looked at the man in front of the crowd. She smiled a little to herself and sighed. "Boy have you grown up Yoru." She said with a grin. He smiled and ran to her, making her fall to the ground and groan in pain.

"You said you'd visit!" He shouted at her as he stared down at her weak form. A small, uneven smile formed on her lips as she began to breathe unevenly.

"I know, but not now Yoru." She said as she pushed him off her gently. "I need rest." She stood and looked around at the people and places. It was like she didn't remember where she was. Merlin noticed her eyes were dull and half closed. What was wrong with her? She was fine before… With heavy feet, she took slow steps towards one of the buildings. At least she seemed to remember something about this place.

"Pendragon?" Merlin and Arthur asked as they walked close by her. She growled.

"Stay out of my way." She snapped. Merlin and Arthur didn't move. She was a stubborn woman, they had learned, and they knew she wasn't doing too well.

"Lila?" She stopped dead in her tracks at the voice she heard and stared at the ground. Her eyes were wide and her body was shaking. Merlin placed his hand on her shoulder but she moved away.

"Pendragon?" Arthur asked.

"Millie." Pendragon whispered.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked as he looked at his best friend.

"OK! This is too confusing! Someone please explain!" Arthur called as he looked around. "We are in the dark! What is going on? Who are you!" He asked pointing to the woman at the door. "And you!" He pointed to the boy that was sitting on ground.

"Arthur…" Merlin said as he reached out to touch his friend's shoulder.

"The Pendragon's have been the caretaker of our island for a long time. Her family always took care of this place." Both of them looked at the man speaking, the Yoru that Pendragon had spoken to earlier, in confusion.

"She and her mother were always around town." The woman said.

"I've never been anywhere without her by my side." Merlin looked back at the people around the town then up at the woman that was standing in the doorway of the building and finally down at Pendragon.

"Pendragon…" Merlin said. "You couldn't-"

"Now now," She said softly. "This is not the time to talk about that." She muttered.

"Lila Pendragon you look at me this instant!" The woman snapped. Pendragon looked up at Merlin and then at the woman. With a face that was beautiful as well as frightening, the woman, Millie, glared at Pendragon. Merlin and Arthur shared a glance before watching as the woman put her hands on her hips. She wore pale jeans and a tight black shirt. Her dull brown hair was in a braid and hung over her shoulder and her eyes were a brilliant blue that were fixed on Pendragon.

"Nice to see you too Mill." Pendragon muttered as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Don't you Mill me!" The woman snapped. Her voice was a gentle one, even if it was raised in a yell. "Where have you been for the passed 15 years?" She exclaimed.

"Ma'am," Arthur said as he smiled. _Show time. _Arthur thought as he put on his best charming face. The woman looked at him and faltered a moment before putting on her stern look once more. "Pendragon needs rest. Would you mind letting her rest before you yell at her?" Arthur smiled again, this time, making sure it really did it's job. The woman smiled to herself, her cheeks turning a pale red, then muttered out of the side of her mouth.

"Fine." Arthur's charm was short lived however. "Pendragon, this only buys you a few hours of sleep. After that, you are going to get an earful from me!" Pendragon, with a small grin and a tired laugh, nodded.

"Boy, who does she remind me of?" Merlin asked Pendragon with a grin. She stared at him for a second before taking weak steps towards the tavern.

"Let us help." Arthur said.

"You're disgusting, sorcerer." She muttered as she looked up at him. Her eyes were more than half way closed now, and a line of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Merlin and Arthur looked at each other and lifted her arms around their neck.

"You're not so great either, pirate." He said to her. She smirked a little and began to fall asleep while taking ginger steps with their help. She looked up at Millie as she walked by and smiled a little and continued on. The woman slipped passed the men to open the door of a room and helped get the small bed set up. While Millie untucked the covers and fluffed the pillows, Pendragon let out a heavy sigh before both the men placed her on the bed. Her eyes were completely closed now and her breathing was easy and peaceful. Millie took off Pendragon's shoes and sighed. The new woman treated Pendragon like that of a mother to her daughter or a that of a lover taking care of her ill mate. With gentle hands, Millie reached behind Pendragon's head and pulled the tight bun of her hair out and brushed the dark strands from her face. After a long pause, the woman finally moved away from Pendragon.

"Rest well, Lila." She muttered. Merlin and Arthur had similar thoughts about this woman. Why was she so gentle with a creature like Pendragon? Better yet, why was she so angry at her?


	14. Chapter 14

**Discalimer: Hey mans, I don't own anything other then the ideas. People= not me. ok? ok! enjoy**

"Excuse me ma'am," Arthur said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Merlin hated it when Arthur pulled out his scamming face. When the woman turned to him, her eyes were shining from his charm. "May I ask you a few questions about Ms. Pendragon?" The woman nodded and led the two of them out of the room.

"Excuse me," Merlin said suddenly as they walked down the stairs. "If you don't mind, why is it I've never heard of this island before?" Millie smiled at them as they got to the main floor.

"You don't know about something that doesn't exist." She said. "Pendragon said that once before." She said as she lowered her head a little. "Come on, go sit down and I'll get Yoru. He'll help me explain a lot of this." She said as she walked out of the tavern. Merlin looked at his best friend.

"Dude," He said. "I don't like the feel of this place."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked as he glanced around. The place was small, the walls dark and only illuminated by a small lamp that hung from the ceiling above booths. Tables with four chairs to each lined the middle of the room and a bar was against the far right wall. When walking in the door, one was faced with the set of tables, then to the left were the booths and directly across from door was the bar and to the left of that was the staircase rising to the second and third floors. On either side of the hall ways were rooms and Pendragon was in the one closest to the back window. Merlin and Arthur found themselves sitting at one of the booths along the right wall.

"I don't know…. These people….That woman. How do they know Pendragon? Why is she so calm here? Did you see her on the boat? That's her baby and she can't even be at ease. What about this place makes her so calm?"

"Are you sure that you're not just over thinking this?" Arthur asked.

"Arthur, you don't know her. Not like I did. She was never like this. I spent hours with her trying to figure that woman out and…"

"Merlin, we just gotta get some answers from the people, fix up the boat and we can go. The sooner we get off here, the sooner we can get to Excalibur and the faster we do that the faster we can figure out where to go next. All these jobs? They're fun and all but I have to be honest. I miss my sister. Caelia's not going to wait forever. We promised. As soon as we get enough money, we'd go find her. That was how many years ago Merlin? Do you even remember her? What her hair looks like? You used to love her. What happened?"

"I remember her like she were right in front of us. She has big green eyes and brown hair just like you. She has a pretty almond face, as opposed to the mess that you can call your face, and had soft skin unlike your dry skin, her body was small unlike yours since you're a monster, her hands were small and her hair was as long as her small shoulders. She had a cute little nose and had naturally pink cheeks. She was beautiful and petite." Merlin laughed a little with each description before frowning. "By the way, it has been 15 years almost exactly and of course I still love her Arthur."

"Ehem," They heard from behind them. Merlin and Arthur looked up at Millie and Yoru.

"Sorry to interrupt." Yoru said, his voice less them apologetic.

"Not a problem." Merlin said as he moved over to sit next to Arthur. Millie and Yoru sat together and watched the two men before Millie cleared her throat.

"Did you have questions?" She asked.

"Right." Arthur said. "I was wondering if you could shed some light on our good friend upstairs."

"Pendragon….she's a very different sort of person." Yoru said.

"She always has been." Millie said with a nod. "She's got a sort of…"

"Evilness." Merlin muttered and Arthur laughed a little in response.

"She's wonderful!" Millie shouted. The two men stared at her. "She's a caring, sensitive, beautiful, and loving woman! You don't even know her!" Yoru placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Millie." He said.

"What made her like the way she is now?" Merlin asked.

"Better question," Arthur said. "How old is she?" Merlin nodded. He had been wondering.

"I think she should be pushing 40.…" Yoru said as he looked at Millie.

"No, she looks younger." Millie said.

"But she was 27 when she was with us and that was fifteen years ago." Yoru said. Millie shook her head.

"I know my Pendragon. She's not 40." Arthur and Merlin looked at each other. She definitely was not 40; she was older. If she was 27 when she was here, how old was she before that? Where had she been before she came here?

"Where did she come from?" Merlin asked. Yoru and Millie shrugged.

"She never told us. She was only here for a year. She came when I was 5 and Yoru was 7. She left the next year and she hasn't been back here in 15 years." Millie explained. "She said she was from a far away place. That's about it."

"What was her mother like?" Arthur asked.

"The sweetest lady I knew." Yoru said. "One was always out. Never the both of them though. They had to take care of their father. Well, Pendragon's father."

"What was he like?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know. He was sick. He died the year Pendragon and her mother left." Millie said. The two men nodded.

"What's her story? Do you know? Where did she go? When did she become a captain?" Arthur asked.

"We don't know. We only knew her for a year." Yoru stressed again.

"What did she do here?" Merlin asked.

"She was a…" Millie stopped mid-sentence. "What did she do?"

"She just walked around I think. Helping people." Yoru said. The men frowned. "Pendragon would offer advice and stuff like that."

"Lila was a caring woman. She only ever helped people." Millie said as she lowered her head a little. Arthur and Merlin nodded. These people didn't know the Pendragon they did. The fifteen years she was gone did a number on her. Whatever happened in those fifteen years made her an angry and frightening woman.

"Why were you so angry at her?" Merlin asked. Millie looked up.

"Because I love Lila. She told me to wait for her." Millie said, her voice catching.

"You mean…"

"Yes, like that." Yoru said. "My sister--"

"Sister?" Arthur asked. "Wow….did not see that coming." Merlin sighed and held back a laugh at his friends slow observation skills. Yoru looked like his sister. They had the same small nose and similar cheek bones. Their hair was different though. While Yoru's was messy and a sort of rich looking color, Millie's was a dull brown that was neat and tidy on her head. Yoru's eyes were different as well. His were a icy blue while Millie's were a deep sort of ocean blue.

"Shut up Arthur." Merlin said as he rolled his eyes. "So she didn't try to contact you at all during those 15 years? Do you still love her?" Millie nodded to both questions.

"When I look at her, she's still the same woman she was back then. It was like she didn't even age." Merlin and Arthur knew the reason behind that…

"Why does she hate Excalibur?" Merlin asked suddenly. That had been bothering him for a while now.


	15. Chapter 15

"The sorcerer…" Yoru said sighing. "When I was talking to her one day back when I was little, I told her I wanted to be like him. She said that he was an evil man. And that when I was older I'd understand why. And I do. I went to France a while back to visit a friend of mine. He and I were talking about something when he brought me to a cemetery. His whole family, three sisters, a brother and his parents, were killed by Excalibur." Yoru sighed softly. "They were walking down the street and they got caught in a pointless battle between Excalibur and another warlock." It was so odd, Arthur thought, hearing someone actually know what he is. "They weren't doing anything wrong but because the other warlock got away, Excalibur killed them in anger. No one noticed it because he blamed the other man. They found him and executed him. He had a family too. A wife and two kids." Yoru shook his head. "Because of Excalibur, a family was killed and another was abandoned. I hate that man for those reasons but I hate him more for what he did to Pendragon."

"What did he do?" Arthur asked softly. Merlin looked over at him. Excalibur was Arthur's hero. He knew only the good things the wizard had done.

"He killed her whole town. He left her, her mother and father alive. That's why he was sick you know." Millie said.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Her father, he barely got them out; Lila and her mother. He was poisoned by the ashes that surrounded their town."

"Where was she from?" Arthur asked, hoping to direct the conversation elsewhere.

"I think she said she was born in Europe somewhere." Merlin looked at Arthur. The man's eyes were dull, as if they had lost their flair to fight.

"I think it's time to get some rest." He said. Arthur looked up at his best friend.

"Yeah," He agreed. "Let's go." Merlin and Arthur got out of the booth.

"Thank you," Merlin said as he bowed his head.

"For everything." Arthur concluded as he did the same before leading his friend upstairs. The two of them joined Pendragon in her room and sighed. There was only one bed and the floor didn't look so comfortable.

"You can have your own rooms you know." Millie said as she frowned. The men looked up at her and nodded.

"Of course, thank you." Arthur said. Merlin and Arthur followed after Millie as she led them to the room across form Pendragon's. Millie frowned as she looked at the men and turned, her head raised in the air, and left. Merlin and Arthur snorted and took their respected beds. Arthur turned over and began to fall asleep.

"Hey Artie."

"Yeah?" He called over his shoulder.

"I'm sure it wasn't Excalibur that did that stuff. You know Pendragon." Arthur was silent for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah I know." Arthur muttered.

"Get some rest." Merlin said. "The sooner we get Excalibur the sooner we can get Caelia." Arthur nodded and closed his eyes, engulfed in another dream. Merlin, however was still up, staring at the streak of moonlight that stained their room ceiling. The patch was very pale, barely visible in the darkness. Merlin yawned and turned on his side, hoping the sun wouldn't burn his eyes in the morning.

Though however hard Merlin tried to block the sun from his eyes, the morning light still broke the window and roused both Merlin and Arthur from their beds. Their door slammed open, causing both to fall to the floor. "Morning boys." Pendragon's voice rang loud in their ears.

"How are you up? You couldn't even walk yesterday." Arthur said, rubbing his eyes. Pendragon laughed and picked up Merlin, standing him on his feet.

"I have a ship to fix boys, I'm not going to lay around in bed. You either. Let's go. Get dressed and breakfast is downstairs. Millie's got food for us." She left with the room, slamming the door. Pendragon laughed and raced down the stairs. She saw Millie and smiled more. "Good morning Millie! Your bed is really comfortable. I haven't had a sleep like that in….fifteen years!" She laughed and shrugged. "Millie you're wonderful!" Millie frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. With a pout, Pendragon said: "Oh come on Millie. You can't be mad at me for not visiting. I was busy!"

"Really? Doing what?" Millie snapped.

"Getting you a present." Pendragon said as she pulled out a box. Millie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. It was a blue velvet box that was long and slender. Arthur and Merlin came down the stairs, rubbing their eyes and hair. They took opposite sides of Pendragon and peered at the box.

"W'as that?" Arthur asked as he yawned.

"A present for my Millie." Pendragon said as she handed it to the other woman. Merlin stared at the box then at Pendragon. Pendragon was smiling. He had never noticed how beautiful she was. Her black hair was swept up in a loose pony tail, the strands of her hair falling over her back. Her lips were pulled away from her perfect teeth and her eyes were glowing with excitement. "Well, opening it silly!" Pendragon said as she shook Millie's arm. The woman smiled and opened the box, gasping a little. A long diamond necklace lay in the padded box. "It's a Tiffany's necklace so you better hide that. It took me years to find one that would be good enough for you and then it took me another few years to steal it, get a few other things for everyone else then wait for some explorers looking for a place near here to get them to you." Millie smiled and walked around the bar to stand in front of Pendragon, who held out her arms. Millie buried her face in Pendragon's shoulder and laughed.

"Thank you Lila." She whispered. Pendragon laughed and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry I was gone Mill. I'll make it up to you."

"What is going on with you?" Arthur asked as he shook his head. Merlin, Millie and Pendragon looked at him. "First you're pissy, then you're dying, then you're hyped up and now you're cuddly? Which are you?" Merlin sighed and put his head in his hand.

"You're an idiot Artie." Merlin said. Millie laughed and Pendragon stood up.

"Do you want me to be "pissy" again? I was happy for a little because I was finally back in the only place that I considered home. But if you insist." Pendragon grabbed him by the ear, picked him up and dragged him towards the door. "I'll see you around Millie. I've…I mean _we've_ got a boat to fix." She glared down at Arthur and snapped her gaze up to Merlin. "You too. Let's go."


End file.
